Incumbent Worker Training Grants available

THE GOVERNOR'S Workforce Board is offering $1.7 million in Incumbent Worker Training Grants for fiscal 2016 on a rolling basis.
THE GOVERNOR'S Workforce Board is offering $1.7 million in Incumbent Worker Training Grants for fiscal 2016 on a rolling basis.

PROVIDENCE – A total of $1.7 million in Incumbent Worker Training Grants are available for fiscal 2016 on a rolling basis, according to the Governor’s Workforce Board.

The on-demand training grants previously were available only through an annual request for proposals, the board said.

Governor’s Workforce Board Executive Director Richard L. Brooks said the grants are being made available on a rolling basis to be more responsive to employer’s needs.

Grants between $5,000 and $45,000 will be available starting next month to Rhode Island employers looking to upgrade their workers’ skills, he said. Brooks said this program is a popular one, and one of the oldest programs that the board offers. He said it has been available for 20 years.

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In the past year, Incumbent Worker Training Grants have enabled 150 companies to train more than 5,500 workers, the board said. He said that approximately half of the applicants are manufacturing companies.

Brooks said businesses that pay into the job-development fund are eligible to apply. The grants are funded by employer payroll taxes into the unemployment system, he said.

Employers are required to tell the board what they need for training and also are required to provide matching funds, Brooks said. Employers who receive grants must report to the board on a quarterly basis, he said.

“Ensuring government moves at the speed of business will help spark Rhode Island’s comeback,” Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement. “One of the top concerns I hear from businesses is that they don’t have enough skilled workers. Giving businesses the tools they need to strengthen their workforce, on a schedule that works for them, is a great investment.”

The grants will be available starting July 1. Applications may be submitted at any time.

For information, visit www.gwb.ri.gov/grants.htm or call (401) 462-8860.

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